Celtic Drop Their 7th Point To Killie!
Kilmarnock 0 Celtic 0
(Scot Premier Division, Match 28,
Rugby Park, Mar 21st 1999)
( Image
copyright of Sandy Ferguson & used with permission )
MOST
observers felt Celtic had bottled it when they drew 0-0 with
Kilmarnock on Sunday night.
Their failure
to pick up all three points a day after Rangers had left the
title door ajar was viewed as a lack of character in some
quarters.
It's a claim
which has been made of Celtic teams in the past but it
ignores one relevant point - the Kilmarnock factor.
In recent
years the Ayrshire club have dealt hammer blows to the
championship hopes of both sides of the Old Firm.
When Tommy
Burns was Celtic manager in 1996, the Hoops drew with Killie
three times and lost the title by just two points.
In March of
the following year a crushing
defeat at Rugby Park
was followed by a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park as Burns' side
again came second.
Last season
it was Rangers' turn to falter.
A 1-1 draw at
Kilmarnock in February was followed by a shock
1-0
defeat at Ibrox on the penultimate weekend of the season.
Ally
Mitchell's last-minute goal effectively handed Celtic their
first title in a decade but there the favours have ended.
While Rangers
have rediscovered their winning ways under Dick Advocaat
(three victories and a 9-1 aggregate against Killie), it's
been Celtic's turn to struggle again.
Seven points
have been squandered in the
1-1 draw at Parkhead in
September, the 2-0 defeat at Kilmarnock in October
and
Sunday's goal-less encounter.
However,
Killie boss Bobby Williamson reckons it's a slur on his
players to suggest Celtic's stars capitulated on Sunday.
He said: "No
one can say our players are pro-Rangers or pro-Celtic
because we do well against both of them. It's a fact that
everyone raises their game against the Old Firm but that's
especially the case with our players.
"You are
playing to a bigger audience, especially when it is live on
Sky.
"That's the
sort of environment our lads thrive on and we've had our
fair share of points against them.
"People say
Celtic have dropped seven points against us but I look upon
it as us taking five points from them. Celtic are a very
good team and they'll hurt you
if you give them space and you need to give them credit for
putting us under so much pressure.
"But it's
pleasing that we are the only side Henrik Larsson hasn't
scored against.
"He might
have scored just two goals fewer than our whole team put
together but he didn't get any against us."
Killie have
improved every season under Williamson, winning the Scottish
Cup five months after he took over, finishing fourth last
season and sitting four points clear of St Johnstone in
third at the moment.
He said:
"Obviously, it's hard for anyone outside the Old Firm to
keep progressing in that way, although there are other ways
to measure improvement - the quality of your performances,
goals scored and conceded and so on.
"It would be
a fabulous achievement for us to qualify for Europe for the
third consecutive season because it's been ages since a club
outside Glasgow managed that.
"When I look
back at Dundee United, who were relegated in 1995 after
winning the cup the previous year, and Hearts sitting bottom
after winning it last season, I realise how well our players
have coped with our success."
Kilmarnock
manager Bobby Williamson watched his team and then admitted:
"They hammered us for 90 minutes."
A magnificent
defensive display by Killie thwarted Celtic's bid to narrow
the gap on leaders Rangers to seven points, and the match at
Rugby Park ended goalless.
Williamson
said: "We were lucky to get a point - I would hate to see
the match stats because they hammered us for 90 minutes.
"I think
Celtic did everything they could. But they didn't get the
chances, and we defended very well."
Kilmarnock: Marshall, MacPherson,
Kerr, Lauchlan, McGowne, Reilly, Mitchell, Holt, Wright,
Durrant, McCoist
Subs: Mahood, Roberts, Burke,
Attendance: 14,472
